Nissan Leaf Hidden Features: 7 Things You Should Know About

The Nissan Leaf was one of the very first mass-production subcompact EVs to reach the market and has since been renowned for its eco-friendly approach and advanced technology, helping drivers enjoy their boring daily commutes while emitting no CO2 emissions.

While its electric powertrain hides no secrets, there are nuances and features such as cool easter eggs and "hidden features" you ought to know about. Whether you're a proud Leaf owner or thinking about making a green transition, these 7 hidden features are bound to surprise and impress. So, Nissan Leaf Hidden Features: 7 Things You Should Know About!

Nissan Leaf Hidden Features: 7 Things You Should Know About

• Recycling Champion
• E-Pedal
• Intelligent Driver Alternes
• Intelligent Around View Monitor
• Steering Heater
• Silent Operation With Low-Speed Pedestrian Alert
• Night Mode

1) Recycling Champion

Even though this isn't a "hidden feature" per-se, it is something you should definitely know about. Since EVs are intended as more sustainable means of commuting, knowing that your Nissan Leaf is one of the most sustainable EVs on the market certainly does help with your and your car's image.

About 60% of the Nissan Leaf interior is made out of a combination of recycled bottles and recycled clothes and Nissan even says that 99% of the Nissan Leaf can be recycled. So, when it comes time for your Leaf to retire, it isn't likely to rott in someone's driveway, but rather it's going to be recycled for a new EV or other technology components.

2) E-Pedal

The Nissan Leaf E-Pedal is one of the most advertised features of the Leaf so it also isn't a hidden feature, but there are some additional features about it that not too many people know about. If you put your Leaf in its Eco Mode B+ driving mode, you can take full advantage of a one-pedal-drive driving experience.

Nissan says that while driving around town, you won't have to use the brake pedal in 90% of situations. All you have to do is use the gas pedal. When you press it, the car will accelerate, but when you release it, the Leaf has the ability to come to a complete stop without touching the brake pedal. This ensures regeneration, and convenience, and also extends the lifespan of your braking system.

3) Intelligent Driver Alerts

With such a deep-rooted technology platform, the Nissan Leaf has numerous tech features to make your life easier, safer, and more entertaining. One such feature is its intelligent driver alert system. The Leaf is equipped with sophisticated sensors designed to monitor your steering inputs in order to calculate your state of awareness.

If the system deems that your steering inputs are late, slow, or downright weird, it is going to prompt up an alert on the dashboard telling you to relax a bit, have a cup of coffee, or stop driving for the day.

4) Intelligent Around View Monitor

The Nissan Leaf is also known to come with some pieces of technology one wouldn't necessarily expect in such an entry-level EV. One such feature is the Intelligent Around View Monitor, a suite of 360-degree cameras that does all the usual stuff - helps you park in tight spaces by providing you with a bird's eye view of your entire surroundings.

However, the Nissan Leaf goes a step further as those cameras will continue to monitor the car's surroundings once you leave it. If the system detects movement around the car, it can send you a notification on your phone and even show you the live feed. Take that Tesla Sentry Mode!

5) Steering Heater

The world of luxury cars is used to features such as heated seats while the more affordable car market, not so much. As such, many people aren't aware of the fact that you can get the Nissan Leaf with not only seat heaters but also a steering wheel heater.

Some are quick to say that a steering wheel heater is a bit of a gimmick, but once you try it, you'll soon realize how good it feels. Combined with heated seats and a multi-zone A/C capable of heating up the Leaf's small cabin, the Nissan Leaf quickly becomes a very comfortable car for the winter.

6) Silent Operation With Pedestrian Alert

One of the most noticeable things about driving an EV is the lack of combustion engine noise always droning in the background. For someone who has spent his/hers entire life driving a combustion car, it quickly becomes apparent how relaxing an EV's lack of engine sound becomes.

However, some have scrutinized this feature as a lack of noise can present a bunch of safety hazards while driving in busy city centers near pedestrians. The Nissan Leaf takes care of that as it emits a subtle sound at low speeds in order to alert everyone around to its presence.

7) Night Mode

If you are someone who often drives during the night, you know how tiring flashing lights can be. This does not only include oncoming traffic or ambient lights around the road, but also the car's interior. Some prefer dimming the lights down with a projector while others can take advantage of clever in-car features which allow you to turn off the infotainment system completely.

The Nissan Leaf is one of those cars. Just be sure to long-press the moon icon near the central infotainment display, and the screen will turn itself off for a more comfortable night-driving experience. Once you want to turn it back on again, simply press the moon icon again and the screen will come back on in a matter of seconds.

More Amazing Facts About the Nissan Leaf

Since we are celebrating all the good things about this hyper-popular affordable EV, we will provide you with even more amazing facts about the Nissan Leaf, some of which could even motivate you to buy one.

• A Best-Seller EV With Amazing Warranty
• One of the Most Environmentally Friendly Cars Ever
• Double the Battery Capacity
• Huge Levels of Driver Satisfaction
• It Can Text You

1) The Best Seller EV With Amazing Warranty

The Nissan Leaf, an EV that isn't designed to break 0-60mph records or has features that allow you to play fart sounds, still manages to be one of the best-selling, if not the best-selling EV in modern history.

With more than 500,000 units sold worldwide, the Nissan Leaf continues to attract buyers from all areas of the globe. As icing on the cake, Nissan also includes a tremendous battery warranty which will cover all of your issues for up to 8 years or 100k miles.

2) One of the Most Environmentally Friendly Cars Ever

Picture this, the combined mileage Nissan Leaf drivers drove up until mid-2021 was about 10 million miles which is more than equivalent to 400k trips around the world, all of which are zero-tailpipe emissions. With such a huge feat, Nissan Leaf drivers prevented more than 2.5 to 3 million tonnes of CO2 emissions.

Thanks to its aforementioned E-Pedal full one-pedal-driving feature, every Nissan Leaf driver can regenerate around 700-800kWh of energy every year. This is enough to power your mobile phone for up to 400 years. To top it all off, an innovative battery storage facility in the Netherlands was built from 150 recycled Nissan Leaf batteries, further proving that the Leaf is designed to be recycled.

3) Double the Battery Capacity

One of the criticisms about the Nissan Leaf when it first came out was the size of its battery which was rated at 24kWh.  Even though the Leaf is a small car that does not sip its battery as some larger EVs do, a 24kWh battery is still a bit too little for most owners.

However, when the Leaf+ came out, Nissan not only fixed this problem, but they also went two steps further by incorporating a 62kWh battery which gave the car 2.3 times more range and thus pushing it firmly in the 200+ mile range club, something most small city EVs can't do.

4) Huge Levels of Driver Satisfaction

If you are still not convinced about buying the Nissan Leaf, you should be aware that a staggering 92% of current Nissan Leaf owners would recommend the Nissan Leaf to their friends and family. This is a rather record-setting result by the Nissan Leaf as it further reiterates how well-packaged and well-priced the Nissan Leaf truly is.

5) It Can Text You

Yep, the Nissan Leaf can literally send you an e-mail to inform you about a number of things. For example, if you leave it charging, the Leaf will send you an email when your battery is fully charged. It will also allow you to remotely control its A/C system to set the temperature to a specific level to make it comfortable and cozy when you make it back.

If something interrupts its charging cycle, the Leaf will also email you to tell you that, so you don't have to stand around and babysit the charging cable while charging.

Conclusion

The Nissan Leaf truly is one of the most iconic EVs on the planet, even though most people aren't even aware it exists. It's not a Tesla, a Porsche, a Rimac, or a BMW, it's just a small, user-friendly, well-designed, and well-priced entry-level EV that shows how EVs can be accessible to the general public while also being more than good enough.